My son lived in German for several years and said the tomato soup was served with a bit of added gin. Gave a wonderful flavor. It does not do anything for Campbells tho! I make French OnionSoup with added brandy and is a wonderful flavor (from Julia Child). This is only a TBS or 2 for a qt.

My son lived in German for several years and said the tomato soup was served with a bit of added gin. Gave a wonderful flavor. It does not do anything for Campbells tho! I make French OnionSoup with added brandy and is a wonderful flavor (from Julia Child). This is only a TBS or 2 for a qt.

Are you sure it wasn't vodka? Vodka tends to bring out subtle flavors of tomato.

This is for Guts
Thank-you ever so much for posting you Dad's recipe for Cream of Tomato Soup. I made it today just like the recipe said except I added some butter. Oh my gosh. It was just like mother used to make. That was the very first tomato soup that actually turned out for me to be edible, and I am 68 years old. I can finally die now and know that I can make good tomato soup. I will be eternally greatful.

No he said it was gin. I called to check! Vodka just does not have enough flavor.... of course now with all the flavored ones it might not be bad with lemon vodka?

The reason vodka is used in cooking, especially with things like tomatoes, is for its lack of flavor. The vodka brings out flavors in other things. Some flavors are water soluble, some are fat soluble, and some are alcohol soluble. What that means is that you need one of those substances to taste that flavor. There are flavor compounds in tomatoes that are only alcohol soluble. You will never taste them unless booze is present. Lots of recipes that have tomatoes incude wine, but wine has a lot of flavor itself, so if you just want the tomato flavor then vodka is perfect because it has little or no flavor.

One more bit of advise; anytime you use a food that has protien in it, especially dary, the sauce will curdle if you apply too much heat. If you bring it to ony 160 degrees, the dairy will not curdle. If you bring your soup to a boil, no matter how gentle the boil, it will cause the protiens to bind together (curdle or form a skin).

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

__________________“No amount of success outside the home can compensate for failure within the home…"

Dads Tomato Soup
One can whole tomatoes, or cut tomatoes put in 3 quart pan
Use tomato can, fill with water 1/2 full and add to tomatoes (do not use stewed tomatoes)
Slice small onion then cut slices in half then add to soup
Heat till onion is cooked, let it cool for a minute or so
Add 1 tsp baking soda (this will cause the soup to bubble up so be careful it dose not rise over the top of the pan)
Mix well till all of the bubbles are ALL gone
Return to heat adding milk about the same amount as the can of tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Dad always likes to put a little butter on his.
This is a favorite of mine and is Q&E and every one seems to have tomatoes onion and milk in there pantry.
The key thing in this soup is the baking soda, this takes all of the acidity out of tomatoes.
enjoy!
Guts

That sounds like a mean recipe you have got for cream of tomato. When you say it takes out the acidity, does it mean the tangy flavour?

Also, some people said earlier that adding milk to soup would cause it curdle. So does your soup curdle?

Finally, can some guru here tell me what does it mean when your soup curdles?

The reason vodka is used in cooking, especially with things like tomatoes, is for its lack of flavor. The vodka brings out flavors in other things. Some flavors are water soluble, some are fat soluble, and some are alcohol soluble. What that means is that you need one of those substances to taste that flavor. There are flavor compounds in tomatoes that are only alcohol soluble. You will never taste them unless booze is present. Lots of recipes that have tomatoes incude wine, but wine has a lot of flavor itself, so if you just want the tomato flavor then vodka is perfect because it has little or no flavor.

Great explanation dude! You've really taken the mystery out of cooking. Many a times, we just know something works, but not sure why. Certainty is good in cooking as it ensures consistency.

Reminds me of a Discovery program which discussed many cooking techniques through chemistry.

"When you say it takes out the acidity, does it mean the tangy flavour? "

Like in a tomato based recipe there is a lot of acidity in it. Like spaghetti sauce I use wine to add flavor and reduce the acidity, or some sugar will do this also. In DAD"S tomato soup it is the baking soda! Be careful not to add to much as it will make the soup taste like baking soda (follow the recipe)
The baking soda is like a science project using vinegar then adding the baking soda... Sorry I'm not so good at explaining the science or the chemistry of this.